Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

well, I now have 2 cars on the market. People are going to think I am a curbstoner or something. Hopefully someone comes and buys at least one of them soon. I really need to thin out the fleet. I can barely keep one of mine exercised. No chance on having enough miles to keep 2 fresh. Plus I hate parking on the road, so whichever car is in the garage and blocked in never gets used.

Curbstoner? Nah. Car flipper maybe.

http://livingwelldementia.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/used-car-salesman.jpg

stickguy

close, but I don't smoke cigars. And hard to be a "flipper" when I had one for 6 years, and the other almost 3. That is a long flip!

suydam

At our house we tend to have a sedan for good mpg and comfort on trips, and some kind of hatchback for dogs and versatility. I'm thinking in a couple of years we might be looking at either a Leaf or a Fit so we could have good fuel economy in both vehicles.

roadburner

I love hatchbacks, but fuel economy is far from a primary concern. I wish the Club Sport had 75-100 more hp, but it is tolerable now that I've retired it from HPDE duty. The Mazda has adequate power but is hampered by FWD- even after some beneficial suspension tweaks. The obvious-and likely-solution is either a Z4 M Coupe or Cayman S.
My wife is open to flipping the unloved 328i for a new Xterra with the Pro-4X package- that would allow me to unload the Wrangler and have a bit more room for maintenance in the basement garage/workshop.

Mr_Shiftright

Cayman S is a *nice* car!

roadburner

A friend of mine just took delivery of a new one. I hate him.

stickguy

so, stopped at the Mazda dealer this afternoon. as expected, their trade in offer on the Volvo was too low, but hey, doesn't hurt to ask. We did confirm that the 3 is really nice, and is likely the ultimate new car purchase.

asked about left over 14s (the primary reason to go now) but they were just about out, and nothing (of the 2 choices) I wanted. so started investigating the 2015s. Much better equipped. The touring now has the big touchscreen/control knob stereo and a back up camera standard. So, it was fine that the 14s were done, I would stick with a 15 anyway.

Sandman, I think if you get your wife to test a 2015 3i touring, she will be sold. And in a "free" color, MSRP is only $21,440. So well within her budget #.

they had a crystal (dark metallic) blue over Sand cloth. Very sharp. If I was buying today, that one would have been it.

so, since it made no sense to trade, back to waiting for someone, anyone, to come buy either of my cars.

stickguy

oh, after discussing with the wife, I think we will be keeping the Volvo (with new suspension put in for my delicate buns), and getting the new car that will likely go with daughter to college. at the end of that, we can get it back and the Volvo can move on (if it hasn't already). At least that way only need to get 1 car, not 2.

so complicated!

oh, and for Q, we sat in a fit outside the Honda dealer. very nice. surprisingly roomy. And cheap. i could see getting one for me at some point if I need to add another car. Not sure I want to send it on the 440 1 way trip through hell (er., down 95 from Philly to Richmond), but for around time errand duty and short runs up to NY, would work just fine.

suydam

I'd send the Volvo off to college. You won't mind a few dents in it.

roadburner

I'd like to try the s Grand Touring now that you can get it with a stick.

stickguy

I'm not comfortable sending her on that trip alone in a car with that many miles on it. Plus, I had enough of "managing" a car that decided to have problems from long distance when my son had the TL at school.

nyccarguy

nyccarguy

Now @corvette, you can officially register my puch.  2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium.  Lapis Blue/Ivory Cloth.  Purchase;). More details when my wife hands over the iPad.  

abacomike

nyccarguy said:

Now @corvette, you can officially register my puch.  2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium.  Lapis Blue/Ivory Cloth.  Purchase;). More details when my wife hands over the iPad.  

Very nice - very nice.  I was waiting for the baby to be delivered for 2 weeks now - finally it's here.  Does the "baby" have all its fingers and toes?  Girl or boy?  If a boy, are we being invited to the Bris?  

Oops, how stupid of me, of course it's a boy - it's blue, right?  Must be a boy.

Congratulations, Brad, on your new family addition!  Enjoy "him"!

nyccarguy

Ok, so now it is officially official. The Legacy is safe at home in my driveway & I updated my signature;).

Delivery was quick & painless. We were ushered into F & I when we got there. Very honest & low pressure. I could see @isellhondas working at a store like this. We took the 2.9% for 6 years. Subaru's bumper to bumper is 3 years/36K which I'll blow through in less than 2 years. I took 5 years/100K (bumper to bumper) for $1538 which includes replacement of each of the 4 original tires if I get a flat/blowout/whack a pot hole. My total payment with tax (I put down $500 credit card deposit) is $405.

The phone paired easily. The car is perfect (except for a mis aligned hood). The Lapis Blue is really a gorgeous color. So the seats & door panel inserts are ivory, but the dash board & the floor are black. Interior fit, finish, & materials are "Audi-caliber." Very spacious & airy cabin. My boys were so excited to take a ride in the new car! My older son asked me if he could drive it when he learns to drive in 8 years.

I was able to take the Subaru with us to visit my parents tonight. I fit all 3 kids in their car seats (2 high back boosters & 1 LATCHed in Britax Marathon). It was a tight fit, but they did fit.

New Car Day is AWESOME!

sda

Nyccarguy--congrats! Very nice indeed. What options did you add? Sunroof, upgraded audio? I stopped by a Subaru dealer to look see. I am impressed. Enjoy

rayainsw

Nyccarguy--congrats!

Looks very nice - good luck & enjoy!

= Ray

BMW was sold before I reached the dealer .....

oldfarmer50

"...The car is perfect (except for a mis aligned hood)..."

I hope you're just being OCD about a minor misalignment. Otherwise do you have any recourse with the dealer?

I agree that blue is THE color for a Subie.

fintail

I am now well into "pull forward" territory with my lease, and am actively starting to debate what to do next. I am not going to buy the car, and I can't find any used cars that interest me (mint pristine showroom late run W140 or a preferably blue W124 500E, among a few others), so there's a good chance I will lease again. If I can work it into the cash flow, why not - live a little, these are the good old days.

I went to the dealer today - end of month, and they were packed. No parking spots at the new car building, I had to park at the used car section next door. My salesman was busy, so I looked around and chatted with another. As expected, for cars with identical MSRP, a C will lease more than an E, and something like a GLA45 which appeals to my weird side, would be even more. So there's a good chance I'd get an E250, as I am looking for deals and value. I don't know what other brands/models I would consider. I like the the diesel 3er wagon too, and a few other brands, but I have some kind loyalty, probably due to product knowledge. It's going to be fun.

stever

The GLA45 would be fun. But you knew I'd go for it over any sedan.

andre1969

nyccarguy said:

Now @corvette, you can officially register my puch.  2015 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium.  Lapis Blue/Ivory Cloth.  Purchase;). More details when my wife hands over the iPad.  

Congrats on the new ride. And LOVE that color!

ab348

fintail said:

As expected, for cars with identical MSRP, a C will lease more than an E, and something like a GLA45 which appeals to my weird side, would be even more. So there's a good chance I'd get an E250, as I am looking for deals and value. I don't know what other brands/models I would consider. I like the the diesel 3er wagon too, and a few other brands, but I have some kind loyalty, probably due to product knowledge. It's going to be fun.

Have you driven the E250? I am curious about it, though I doubt a diesel makes any sense for me. There is a 2014 leftover E250 at the local dealer and cosmetically it is the nicest car on their lot - Cavansite blue (dark) with Crystal Gray interior. The reviews of the 250 have been good but I wonder about living with a diesel.

abacomike

@ab348 said:

"The reviews of the 250 have been good but I wonder about living with a diesel."

I have owned 3 diesels - s Volvo and 2 Mercedes Benz's.  I found them sluggish but the new generation of diesels are very different.

I drove the E250 and found it a bit less responsive that the E350 and the fuel economy is not "significantly" better in the diesel than in the gasoline version.  But everything else about the two models are about the same.  Diesel fuel is similar in cost to premium gasoline, so it really boils down to personal preferences.

The E250's MSRP is higher than the E350 as well.  So that is something else one must consider.

fintail

I haven't, but if I look at one seriously, I will test drive one of course. I don't drive a huge mileage either, but I like the feel of the diesel, the torque, and the mileage. It's a good road trip car. I've been in the E350 for almost 2 years now, and I've had no diesel related problems. The only quirks with the car have been design issues - like the rear deck makes noise in sunlight due to materials that expand with heat, and a couple little things. But the engine is strong and smooth, and my experience shows it obtains 20% better mpg than the base gasoline model, and sometimes a little more. The diesels also have better residuals here, so they will lease a little cheaper.

I can't speak for CDN market cars, but in the US, the E250 actually bases $500 cheaper than the V6 gas.

All 3 cars that I might consider - E, C, GLA45, would be within 1-2K of each other the way I'd want them equipped. However, as the E is an aging high volume model, it will carry more incentives and subsidies.

I also might test drive the 328d wagon, but building it how I'd want isn't much cheaper than any of the MBs, I don't know if it would have the same value. As I would be leasing again, I become somewhat of a payment vs MSRP shopper.

Oh yeah, and congrats to Brad on the Subaru - that one is so much better looking than what it replaces.

Have you driven the E250? I am curious about it, though I doubt a diesel makes any sense for me. There is a 2014 leftover E250 at the local dealer and cosmetically it is the nicest car on their lot - Cavansite blue (dark) with Crystal Gray interior. The reviews of the 250 have been good but I wonder about living with a diesel.

nyccarguy

Thank-you so much everyone for the nice comments!

@sda‌

So my car is the Legacy 2.5i Premium which gives me a few things over the "base" 2.5i such as alloy wheels (instead of wheel covers), dual automatic climate control, heated front seats, power driver's seat, a 6 speaker stereo (as opposed to 4). My car is a PZEV ($300). I didn't get any of the optional packages (Eyesight, Sunroof, Sunroof w/ Nav).

My car has the following accessory options:

Rear Bumper Appliqué

Splash Guards (4)

All Weather Floor Mats

Auto Dimming Mirror w/ Compass

Cargo Net for Trunk

My car's total MSRP is $25,213
Invoice is $23,660

I paid $23,800 then added the 5 year/100K Subaru warranty for $1,538

I'm happy with the car and the deal! My wife took it to work today, then grocery shopping this evening. I'm excited to start putting it through its paces for the daily commute.

sda

I browsed the Subaru site. The Legacy premium is very nicely equipped and priced reasonably. I really like the fact it comes with a leather wrapped steering wheel, and heated seats, something my Accord EX did not. Typical of Honda I would have to spend more for an EX-L to get those. Looking forward to your observations about your new ride. And you have all wheel drive, sweet.

roadburner

Congrats Bradd- beautiful color!!!

sb55

nyccarguy said:

Thank-you so much everyone for the nice comments!

@sda‌

So my car is the Legacy 2.5i Premium which gives me a few things over the "base" 2.5i such as alloy wheels (instead of wheel covers), dual automatic climate control, heated front seats, power driver's seat, a 6 speaker stereo (as opposed to 4). My car is a PZEV ($300). I didn't get any of the optional packages (Eyesight, Sunroof, Sunroof w/ Nav).



.

Subaru's running gear is quite bulletproof. Our 2006 Legacy wagon has been to college with 2 kids, plus my son who adopted it thinks it's a pickup truck and fills it with "stuff". He also thinks it's a camper as he sometimes sleeps in it at music festivals. It seems to just keep on going even though the kids have bumped it up a bit!

ab348

sb55 said:

Subaru's running gear is quite bulletproof. Our 2006 Legacy wagon has been to college with 2 kids, plus my son who adopted it thinks it's a pickup truck and fills it with "stuff". He also thinks it's a camper as he sometimes sleeps in it at music festivals. It seems to just keep on going even though the kids have bumped it up a bit!

When did Subaru fix their engine problems? I remember reading they did a redesign to address the chronic piston slap and gasket problems, but don't recall when that happened.

stickguy

A couple years back. Hit the imprezza and forester first. Legacy got the new motor for 2013. I know this fixed the head gasket flaw. No clue about any piston slap issue lately

jayrider

A few months ago, my wife and I took my Uncle's 2007 MB CLK 350 convertible for a drive around my old home town. Absolutely cool ride -- smooth, powerful and a real attention getter. He's 92 and in great shape. Still hasn't figured out how to set the radio and could care less. The thing is -- I don't get a jolt out of a great ride like that. He still does. May have to consider refunding my dues.

laurasdada

Road trip to the lovely Cooperstown, NY and the Baseball Hall of Fame (Oh, so that's where you've gone, Joe DiMaggio!). The XF was all of pace with grace. Effortless, comfortable cruise, whether 70, 80, 90 or more mphs. Great soundtrack thanks to Meridian sound and my iPod, 10 CDs on the hard drive and Susan and Butch in the CD player. Punctuated by the less pleasing tones of my V1 detector, but no unwanted encounters.

582 miles, avg. 60mph and 28.4 mpg.

The Hall, of course, was fab. Many memories, a few tearful. And, along with Derek Jeter, the Henry Aaron (et. al.) exhibit to remind one in this Lebron Kardashian "look at me all the time" era that one can live and comport themselves with grace and a quiet digity. Let your actions and deeds speak louder than your words. A life lived of pace and grace.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

The car is such a hoot to drive, though. And I have been revving the snot out of it (what's a break-in period?) while the OBC tells me I've been getting 33.7mpg. Curious what it will register when I'm actually trying to get good mileage.

That mileage sounds pretty good; what sort of driving, overall? The prior generations of the Fit weren't the most economical (FE-wise) compared to the other options in the class - best space, worst economy. I think they were rated at 35 highway. Sounds like they've improved there as well as in other aspects of the unit.

xwesx

andre1969 said:

Lapis Blue/Ivory Cloth.

Congrats on the new ride. And LOVE that color!



Agreed! It really does look fantastic.

Separately, I saw my first new 2015 Outback on Sunday morning. They went a little too "RAV4" on the rear-end styling, which I now think is the weakest styling point on the car (and likely affects its ability to load cargo like it once did). Otherwise, it is a very attractive ride.

xwesx

So, is it an insane idea to consider buying a "lightly used" GLK250 Bluetec? It seems they are at around 20-25% depreciation (from MSRP) for a 2013 model with around 20K on the clock.

I have already decided that I will not get another car until I have my garage "parkable," so that gives me both time and, hopefully, motivation to further our house toward completion. But, I'm just finding that I'm not really enjoying the Fiesta any longer, and I'm not particularly interested in buying a gasoline vehicle again.

Maybe I'll change my mind about the Fiesta when the slick hits the roads in the next week or two.

qbrozen

Well, I don't consider it insane. I'm quite smitten with them myself. But I'd only consider one with a really strong warranty.

stickguy

Q, I stopped Saturday to look at a Fit. They had 1 sitting on the apron that I got to sit in. Super roomy, comfortable and nicely equipped.

Sales lady (probably true even) said they were moving as fast as they came in. And there happened to be a guy standing there all excited, because he just bought the only other one they had and was waiting for it to get prepped. Interesting, he seemed even older than me (I would guess late 50s). Large dude too (around). Seems like an odd "fit", but to each his own!

the one thing that bugs me? A 10.6 gallon tank. That is just tiny. This thing isn't getting 45 MPG or so. Might never put much in it, but you will be stopping a lot! I guess I would never think of using it as a travel car, so not that big a deal.

fintail

Some of the CPO deals can be pretty good, low rates and long warranties. I don't think they are known to be particularly troublesome, the diesel should be especially solid, as that unit is popular in Europe and is made in large numbers.

Lots of 24 month leases on 13 models are ending now, and end of year is a good time to deal, buyers market.

xwesx said:

So, is it an insane idea to consider buying a "lightly used" GLK250 Bluetec? It seems they are at around 20-25% depreciation (from MSRP) for a 2013 model with around 20K on the clock.

corvette

xwesx said:

So, is it an insane idea to consider buying a "lightly used" GLK250 Bluetec?

Yes, if you need warranty work done and there is no dealer in Fairbanks.

xwesx

There is a dealer (same one from whom I have managed to *not* buy a Subaru three separate times), so that's not an issue. They tend to do good work, at least on their Toyota/Subaru end of things. It's kind of an odd mish-mash of brands: Toyota, Scion, Subaru, Mazda, Kia, Honda, MB.

xwesx

Well, perhaps there isn't.... They *did* have MB, but, looking at MB's "dealer search" tool, they don't show one any closer than Anchorage. Hmmm....

qbrozen

stick - yeah, that "we can't keep them on hand" speech has entered my ears a couple of times. Yet, conveniently enough, the one I bought was not spoken for, even after I thought about it for a few days, and the silver EX manual I test drove the week before was still there.

I hate the small tank, too. I don't understand why manufacturers seem to intentionally limit their vehicles to this roughly 350-mile range. On top of that, the Fit is super conservative when telling you what's left. I had read of other people complaining about it, and my first experience was this morn when the fuel light came on. I checked the miles remaining and it said 27. Well, OK, let me fill up just in case. By that time, it had about 15 miles left per the OBC, yet I only fit 8.9 gallons in it. That means the OBC is undershooting by at least 40 miles.

I would travel with it no problem. Plenty of space. The only problem I could see is the silly high RPMs it turns at speed.

jayrider

qbrozen said:

stick - yeah, that "we can't keep them on hand" speech has entered my ears a couple of times. Yet, conveniently enough, the one I bought was not spoken for, even after I thought about it for a few days, and the silver EX manual I test drove the week before was still there.

I hate the small tank, too. I don't understand why manufacturers seem to intentionally limit their vehicles to this roughly 350-mile range. On top of that, the Fit is super conservative when telling you what's left. I had read of other people complaining about it, and my first experience was this morn when the fuel light came on. I checked the miles remaining and it said 27. Well, OK, let me fill up just in case. By that time, it had about 15 miles left per the OBC, yet I only fit 8.9 gallons in it. That means the OBC is undershooting by at least 40 miles.

I would travel with it no problem. Plenty of space. The only problem I could see is the silly high RPMs it turns at speed.

Small tanks mean less weight when full -- better MPG. They also leave more room for interior space when the design engineers draw up the details.

nyccarguy

I've been reading my Legacy's owner's manual. 18.5 Gallon Tank! Nice!

stever

@xwesx, closest dealer would be in Anchorage I assume? Got a mechanic lined up - Kendall?

Ah, nevermind, I see @corvette beat me to it and I likely didn't refresh.

stickguy

the Legacy and the Altima and Passat are the camels these days. When you are pulling mid-30s on the highway with that size tank (even mid-upper 20s around town) you get a lot of range.

the Passat I rented last week in NC had the OBC set to range. when I pulled out of the lot, it read 590. And as I drove (initially on the highway at 60ish) the range forecast actually went UP, to over 600!

after 4 days, with a lot of in town driving, I think I did about 260 miles and it returned around 27-28, and I still had close to 1/2 tank left (think I took about 9.5 gallons).

that is what you want for a highway traveler. Makes the 16 gallon tank in my RDX look silly.

also a nice feature of these mid sizers. Real world (particularly highway) MPG is nearly as good as a compact, buy you get 4-5 more gallons.

qbrozen

jayrider said:

Small tanks mean less weight when full -- better MPG. They also leave more room for interior space when the design engineers draw up the details.

Well, yes, but at 7 lbs per gallon, its not exactly hurting mileage to go from 10.6 gallons to 14, for example. You'd add about only 25 lbs and be pushing 500 miles on a tank. Granted, they gotta find space for more tank, but I'm sure they could manage if they really tried.

qbrozen

xwesx said:

That mileage sounds pretty good; what sort of driving, overall? The prior generations of the Fit weren't the most economical (FE-wise) compared to the other options in the class - best space, worst economy. I think they were rated at 35 highway. Sounds like they've improved there as well as in other aspects of the unit.

Sorry, I missed this before. Yes, more economical and more powerful than the old unit. I finished off the tank today with the OBC reading 35.2 mpg. I did not calculate it otherwise because I didn't fill the tank personally and don't know how much it was driven after fill-up by the dealer. I would say this first tank was about 50-60% backroads and the rest highway. I also revved the heck out of it regularly. Not my typical driving. I think I'll do better overall in the future. For example, just driving back to my office from the gas station netted 37.7 per the OBC.

tifighter

@xwesx I've been eyeing the GLK250 recently myself. Also intrigued by the new ML250 as well, but they haven't hit lots yet from what I can tell.

jayrider

qbrozen said:

jayrider said:

Small tanks mean less weight when full -- better MPG. They also leave more room for interior space when the design engineers draw up the details.

Well, yes, but at 7 lbs per gallon, its not exactly hurting mileage to go from 10.6 gallons to 14, for example. You'd add about only 25 lbs and be pushing 500 miles on a tank. Granted, they gotta find space for more tank, but I'm sure they could manage if they really tried.

Remember these micro engineers look for miles per tablespoon.